CWB ships first load of canola to Japan

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA — The Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) said on Dec. 4 that it recently dispatched its first shipload of canola from the Port of Prince Rupert. The cargo of 42,000 tonnes of Prairie canola is now travelling aboard the vessel Tai Health, enroute to customers in Japan.
Changes to the western Canadian grain-marketing system, implemented by the federal government this year, include provisions for CWB to market canola for the first time in history - expanding its crop mix beyond wheat, durum and malting barley.
"We are very pleased to have successfully executed our first export sale of canola," said CWB President and Chief Executive Officer Ian White, who travelled to Japan this month to meet with canola buyer Zen-Noh, the Japanese agricultural co-operative that has made CWB its preferred supplier of Canadian grain.
"We are encouraged by the positive response of valued customers like Zen-Noh," he said. "CWB has many marketing advantages, including its long experience with international customers and grain logistics. Farmers who sign CWB contracts benefit from CWB's long standing marketing relationships and access to premier markets.”
White said strong performance from CN Rail and Prince Rupert Grain Terminal helped deliver this canola to port on schedule. Because the sale was executed through Prince Rupert, all canola was sourced through elevators located on CN lines. White said the canola in this first vessel is a mix of cash purchases from companies and farmers, as well as canola committed by farmers to the CWB pool.